| To certify for CCNP, CCDP, or CCIP, you must pass multiple exams. This book deals with the BSCI exam 642-801. The qualifying exam for CCIP and CCNP is CCNA, which you can achieve by passing either the CCNA exam #640-801 or the INTRO and ICND exams (640-821 and 640-811, respectively). For CCDP, you must first pass the CCDA exam 640-861. The CCNP exams generally match the same topics that are covered in one of the official Cisco courses, but in most casesand certainly on the BSCI exammore topics are covered on the exam than are in the course. Table I-1 outlines the exams and the courses with which they are most closely matched. Table I-1. Exams and Courses for Which BSCI Is Required, by Certification Level | Certification | Exam Number | Exam Name | Course Most Closely Matching Exam Requirements | | CCNA | 640-821 640-811 640-801 | INTRO ICND CCNA | Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices (ICND) | | CCDA | 640-861 | DESGN | Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions | | CCNP | 642-801 | BSCI | Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) | | | 642-811 | BCMSN | Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN) | | | 642-891 [*] | Composite (COMP) | BSCI, BCMSN | | | 642-821 | BCRAN | Building Cisco Remote Access Networks (BCRAN) | | | 642-831 | CIT | Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting (CIT) | | CCDP | 642-801 | BSCI | Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks | | | 642-811 | BCMSN | BCMSN | | | 642-871 | ARCH | Designing Cisco Network Architectures | | CCIP | 642-801 | BSCI | Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks | | | 642-641 | QoS exam | Implementing Cisco Quality of Service | | | 640-910 | MPLS exam | Implementing Cisco MPLS | | | 642-661 | BGP exam | Configuring BGP on Cisco Routers | [*] Exam 642-891 meets the same requirements as passing these exams: 642-801 and 642-811. Therefore, you can substitute exam 642-891 for those two exams, but you can expect a longer exam. Exam 642-891 is also the exam to take when recertifying for CCNP and CCDP. Be cautioned that although the exam coverage and course coverage are similar, there are no guarantees that if you know absolutely everything in the course, you will pass the test. Cisco is moving more toward certifications being tied to technology, not to specific courses. Books in the Cisco Press Exam Certification Guide series can help you prepare for the certification exam, with the added guidance of stressing the most important exam items and coverage of other topics not taught in the prerequisite courses. Cisco also maintains the right to change the exam content at will to ensure that the exam is current and fair. |
